Is Rajasthan Assembly building haunted? Is it even a matter to be discussed?

Is Rajasthan Assembly building haunted? Is it even a matter to be discussed?

The issue has been running as a banner headline for four days in a row in a prominent daily. From ministers to Vastu experts, all are pitching in to air their respective views.

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Rohit Parihar

Jaipur

February 26, 2018

UPDATED: February 26, 2018 17:02 IST

Photo credits: Facebook/pinkcityjaipurguide

HIGHLIGHTS

Four MLAs have already quit after being elected in the current tenure.

It somehow happens that on and off, its members either die or lose the seat.

No government would ever get re-elected, as per BJP Chief Gurjar.

The pointless conversation about the Rajasthan Assembly building being haunted cropped up again. A prominent local daily even covered the 'topic' on its front page for four days.

With a reasonably good real-time coverage just about everywhere, members of the House, ministers, tantriks, architects and Vastu experts are pitching in to air their respective views.

What is the controversy about?

When Rajasthan Assembly was built and inaugurated in 2001, it was said that it could be inauspicious as it was located next to a cremation ground. A reasonable effort was made to soothe evil spirits using Vastu and spiritual remedies.

Death of MLAs have seen to the fact that the Assembly is rarely at its full strength.

And the electorate never reelects a government.

Is Rajasthan Assembly jinxed?

Even in the current tenure that began in December 2013, four MLAs had quit when they were elected to the Parliament.

Just when vacancies created by them were filled through by-polls, an MLA was convicted of rape leading to a vacancy that was filled by his wife who got elected last year.

And little later, Kirti Kumari, the MLA from Mandalgarh died of swine flu. This vacancy was filled on February 1. However, a few days back Nathdwara MLA Kalyan Singh passed away raising speculation about whether there was something really wrong with the assembly building.

A day after Nathdwara MLA Kalyan Singh died, BJP MLA and chief whip Kalulal Gurjar and BJP MLA Habiburrahman Ashrafi raised the issue of presence of ghosts in the Assembly, claiming there has never been a day when all 200 MLAs have attended the house. Later that evening, Govind Singh Dotasara of the Congress party demanded a statement from the government. To this, parliamentary affairs minister Rajendra Rathod said the government could form a committee to look into the nocturnal activities of the supernatural kinds.

He did not stop there. The very next day, on Friday, February 23, Rajendra Rathod declared that since ghosts operated well after midnight, the house should complete its day's proceedings by midnight and avoid any clash. The Assembly was in splits as Rathod continued disseminating his ghost world wisdom.

On Saturday, Kalulal Gurjar called a tantrik in the house by arranging a special pass for the mendicant. This tantrik inspected every nook and corner of the building and then declared the plot of land inauspicious. He apparently prescribed some solutions.

Kalulal Gurjar wants a census of ghosts. He said a committee needs to look into the matter and get to know the number of these invisible creatures.

Assembly Speaker Kailash Meghwal agreed that the house should discuss this serious issue. He said nobody knows how ghosts look, where they might be sitting or resting. 'But we all know they exist and the house can discuss that subject.'

To this BJP MLA Jogaram Patel wanted the discussion to begin early as discussing ghosts later could spook him.

There were sensible voices too. Independent MLA Rajkumar Sharma said Chief Whip Kalulal Gurjar wasn't scared of ghosts but the failures of his government. He pointed out that it's all superstition.

But then Congress's Bhanwar Lal Sharma said there was no harm in seeking remedies like havan and puja even if one has not seen a ghost.

BJP's Habiburrahman agreed and added that people perform puja when they build a new house then what's the harm in doing so in the Assembly. He said the government should organise the prescribed remedies and see the results.

BJP MLA Banwari Lal Singhal does not believe ghosts are a problem. To him, Vastu dosha is the issue here. That the main gate opens to a T-point and the building stands next to a cremation ground cannot be ignored. He believes members will always be effective by these negative energies.

BJP's Phoolchand Bhinda rose in support and demanded a havan/yagna be performed to cancel out the negative energies.